Taungya
Bangladesh

Key information

Taungya works to promote and protect the rights, needs, and aspirations of the peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region of Bangladesh. Taungya's core objectives include the protection and preservation of indigenous culture and knowledge systems; preservation of the environment; the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, including women and children; and educational and socio-economic advancement for all.

Taungya believes in cultural pluralism and the basic rights of all peoples and communities. It promotes eradication of racial and religious discrimination and the eradication of discrimination against women. It tries to address the needs of socially and physically disadvantaged groups. It also seeks to respect different generations and the rights of children.

Its main target groups belong to disadvantaged sections of society, especially those living in the remote and semi-remote areas.

Key activities

Community Empowerment

Taungya works to empower communities in such a way that they can manage their own affairs, related to development and welfare on their own. It is assumed that, by doing so, the communities will become capable of solving their ethnic conflict problems with significant control over their capabilities and limitations, while availing of the opportunities and eliminating the potential threats from the surrounding environment.

Capacity development of CHT non-government institutions and civil society organisations

The organisations supports local development and the Sustainable Development Goals, thereby addressing the ownership and sustainability of peace and development results.

Dialogue and advocacy

Taungya regularly organises dialogue and lessons-sharing among local communities, development agencies and government organisations with the goal of building confidence in the 1997 peace accords.

Consolidating community rights over natural resources

This activity focuses on collective access to Village Common Forests (VCFs) and management of natural resources by the communities, to make people understand indigenous people's rights and community based natural resource management. They aim to support all key stakeholders in the VCF system of conservation.

HIV prevention and control

Taungya is delivering awareness-raising training on HIV/AIDS to young people. The programmes trains peer educators on life skills to address the issues of HIV/AIDS, STDS and other related subjects.

A recent publication from the organisation can be found by clicking here.